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Battle Theory Class.
During class, Leo was lost in thought.
Apparently, Lissinas had once harbored feelings for him.
‘That guy never once showed any such feelings for me?’
King of Wisdom, Lissinas.
The leader of the Eradication Squad for Erebus, who had the noble goal of saving the world.
The pure black dragon that gathered the Great Heroes and gave hope to those lost in despair.
He always appeared flawless in front of others.
Of course, it wasn’t the same with friends.
Especially after major battles during the feasts, he often showed a more relaxed side.
During those times, he would drink and talk about the future when all calamities had disappeared.
‘But even then, he never really acted like he liked me. So why is he mad at me for not noticing?’
Leo frowned as he recalled old memories.
It was another day of a feast in full swing.
They were celebrating the victory in the Gardstron plaza.
Many people blessed the heroes.
Not just the five Great Heroes, but other heroes from that era were also present.
Humans playing music.
Elves dancing merrily to the melodies.
Dwarves happily serving drinks.
Beastmen preparing the food.
And dragons narrating heroic tales to children.
The five races came together in harmony to celebrate the hard-won peace.
At least for this moment, everyone had forgotten about the age of despair.
Kyle would often quietly observe this hopeful scene from a distance.
When he was alone like this, two people usually approached him.
On this day, it was Lissinas, who had drunk more than usual.
With a flushed face from the alcohol, Lissinas casually approached and sat beside Kyle.
“Kyle.”
“What?”
“When we defeat Erebus, what are you planning to do?”
Lissinas, who had the goal of saving the world and restoring the light.
Luna, who wanted to fill the world with flowers.
Dwenno, who vowed to spread beauty across the world.
Aron, who wished to create a world where children did not cry, unlike Kyle who didn’t have any grand plan.
“I’ll probably just drift along with no direction. I don’t have anywhere to go.”
At that, Lissinas turned his head to look at Kyle.
“Then…”
Lissinas bashfully smiled.
“Would you consider living with me in the dragon’s territory?”
“Dragon’s territory? Sounds too cramped and not for me.”
“Then how about I travel the world with you?”
“Could be interesting. But wouldn’t it be tiring for you?”
“Why?”
“Because you should be helping in rebuilding the world. Besides…”
“Besides?”
“It feels like you’ll keep nagging me. So it’s better for me to be alone, with peace of mind…”
Chik-!
Lissinas struck Kyle’s forehead with his elbow.
“What? What? Lissinas, you wouldn’t have been making a drunken scene now, would you?”
Luna, who had come to join in a dance with Kyle, witnessed the scene and wore an expression of surprise.
“Drunk scene?”
“Yes. Kyle said you get abusive when you drink. Didn’t believe it before, but turns out it’s true?”
“Am I right?”
“Yeah.”
Luna nodded with seeming agreement as Kyle was rubbing his forehead.
Lissinas grinned slightly.
“Kyle.”
“Huh? Kheek-!”
Without warning, Lissinas performed a dropkick to Kyle’s solar plexus.
“d*e, you b*stard!”
The black dragon roared while trampling on the fallen Kyle.
Luna observed the scene with her arms crossed and nodded.
“Abusive. Abusive.”
Lissinas then grabbed at Luna’s hair.
Before they knew it, Luna and Lissinas were wrestling, each clutching each other’s hair.
Watching this, Aron sipped his drink.
“Why are those two fighting again?”
“Leave them be. They are all kind of dense in that regard, what can you do?”
“That regard?”
“The four of us indeed.”
Tsk tsk, Dwenno clicked his tongue as Kyle approached.
“Ow, what did I do wrong?”
“Looks to me like you deserve it.”
“What did I even do?”
Dwenno genuinely looked disdainful as he glanced at Kyle.
“…”
Recalling the events back then, Leo wore a peculiar expression.
Upon reflection, these kinds of moments were quite frequent.
During these instances, Dwenno always looked at Leo with a lukewarm, disdainful gaze.
‘No, still feels unfair. If you wanted, just say it directly?’
“Student Leo.”
“Yes, Professor Sedgen.”
“Are you not satisfied with my battle strategy class?”
Sedgen’s eyes flickered.
Sedgen was enthusiastically teaching the battle strategy course at the Training Ground.
What’s more, this was a joint class with all ten groups gathered together.
Sedgen was chosen as the representative professor for this joint teaching session.
With the midterm exams looming ahead, every student was concentrating fully on the class, except for Leo, who was lost in thought.
“I was listening carefully.”
“Hmm? Then explain what I just described about the party composition and role allocation as the leader of a 5-person party.”
“The composition changes depending on the class of the leader. In my case, as I can handle all classes, I can take on any role, so… .”
Without much difficulty, Leo explained the content.
Having listened to it all, Professor Sedgen pulled out his handkerchief and gnawed it.
“Uugh-! So annoying! But way too elegant! That’s why you’re so annoying!”
“Professor, it seemed like you also spoke your inner thoughts out loud.”
“Kruuuuu!”
Among first-year students, none besides Leo dared to speak so freely to the professor.
Especially since it’s a student who doesn’t shrink before even Halind, such behavior from Leo was familiar among the first-years.
After a while, the class proceeded.
“We’ll end the theory portion here. Since this is a joint class, we will proceed with Bastera today.”
Bastera, the traditional sport of battle strategy.
The students usually formed teams within their own classes, but mixed teams were rare, which made everyone’s eyes shine bright.
“Other classes forming teams? This might be fun.”
“Finally, I can assemble the team I’ve been planning!”
The students began to move fluidly.
Among them, the most sought-after were usually the top students.
Leo’s popularity was especially high.
“Leo! Let’s be in the same team!”
“No! I want to team with you!”
“You guys already have enough front line. So no need for Leo, right?”
“Stop joking! Leo can handle all classes—any position!”
Leo sighed casually while observing quarrelling students from other classes.
Thud, Thud,
Chelsea tilted her head while bouncing the Bastera ball on the ground.
“Leo’s been a little strange these past few days…”
“What’s strange about Lord Leo?”
“Unexpected!”
Chelsea jumped out suddenly as Chen Sia approached.
The smallest two students among the first year, Chelsea and Chen Sia stood out more than expected.
“Chen Sia, why are you here?”
Kal questioned as Chen Sia smiled brightly.
“I wanted to assemble a team with Lord Leo. By the way, isn’t Leo acting strangely these past few days?”
“He’s been a little absent-minded.”
“Yeah. The class president is normally flawless but now seems to have cracks?”
Teid crossed his arms and approached as Iliana wore an interested expression.
“I’ve noticed it too recently. Getting scolded during class?”
Celia appeared alongside Chloe, who had been trying to join forces with Leo and joined the conversation.
“I’ve noticed too recently. Getting reprimanded during class, of all things.”
Celia glanced disapprovingly at Leo.
“Is he troubled about something?”
Chloe wore a slightly worried expression.
“Don’t know! But this is our chance! Chelsea, pass me the ball!”
Iliana grinned mischievously.
“What for?”
“Now’s the time to see if I can hit the class president’s head with a ball, right?”
With a chuckle, Iliana quietly approached behind Leo.
With the teams in chaos, Iliana threw the ball at the back of Leo’s head without warning.
Ttch-!
Without turning his gaze towards Iliana, Leo caught the ball with one hand.
And, without turning around, he accurately threw it back to hit Iliana’s face.
“Phuh?!”
“Idiot.”
“Even if you’re distracted, would you fall for that?”
Iliana, whose face flushed red with the ball’s impact, turned back to see Kal and Teid who exchanged looks of disdain.
“Chelsea! They’re calling me an idiot!”
Iliana clung to Chelsea with an aggrieved expression.
“Because you are.”
“Too harsh!”
Iliana looked heartbroken.
“Students from Class 5 are always entertaining.”
Chen Sia smiled while stroking her chin.
“Still, wonder why?”
“Well, for a boy of our age, it’s pretty obvious.”
Kal crossed his arms and nodded thoughtfully.
“I don’t really want to think of Leo and Kal on the same level… but let him explain it.”
“It’s a girl.”
At that, Chelsea, Chloe, and Chen Sia wore strange expressions.
Celia crossed her arms.
“Doesn’t seem like someone would be distracted by that reason?”
“How can a woman understand the heart of a pubescent boy?”
“His know-it-all attitude is irritating me.”
Celia frowned as she watched Kal puff himself up.
“In his case, he would look good with someone older, right? He’s mature. Recently, it seems he’s been close to Senior Eleina.”
Teid continued the conversation, to which Kal nodded.
“I think so too. In that sense…”
Swoosh- Calmly shaking his head while looking at Chelsea, Kal said,
“Young girls like you have no hope–” Cough!
Chelsea mercilessly planted a sidekick into Kal’s rib without hesitation.
It was at that moment of chaotic team selection when…
“By the way.”
Professor Sedgen spoke.
“Today is actually the midterm practical exam for combat studies.”
Instantly, the entire mood of the first-year class turned as cold as ice.
“Whaaat?”
“Now, now! Professor! A sudden practical test?”
The unexpected proclamation left the entire first-year class stunned.
Given that it was exam period, a practical test wouldn’t be unusual, but it was disconcerting for it to suddenly pop up unannounced.
Sedgen, who usually cherished the students with gentle smiles, watched the panic-stricken students with an upward curl to his lips.
“You are of Lumeran, first-year scholars.”
Sedgen crossed his arms.
“If your aim is to become a hero, you must learn to respond to sudden emergencies, no matter when or where.”
The first-years gulped nervously at this completely different Sedgen, exuding a commanding presence in contrast to his usual demeanor.
Seeing this, Warden asked in his typical flat tone,
“So, we’re pitted against other first year students?”
“Hm. Student Warden. You are indeed remarkably elegant.”
Sedgen smiled satisfactorily at Warden’s cold calculation of the situation.
“There’s something important I must inform you all. This midterm exam will incorporate evaluation against peers for everything except the written test.”
Sedgen crossed his arms confidently.
“In contrast with the first semester, where we had more absolute evaluations, do you know why?”
When the students hesitated, Celia raised her hand.
“Go ahead, Student Celia.”
“It’s because all the mediocre skill users have already been weeded out, isn’t it?”
“Elegant.”
Sedgen nodded approvingly.
“My apologies to the students who were recommended to withdraw in the first semester…but up until now, it was the process of ‘screening’ potential heroes. I’m sure you’ve all felt it: this semester is completely different from the first. This means only students with great potential remain from the incoming students.”
The students looked at each other and nodded at this statement.
“The first semester was about selecting students with the potential to grow, and the second semester evaluates the value of their potential.”
“How exactly do you evaluate potential?”
Durran posed the question this time.
At this, Sedgen raised the corner of his mouth into a smirk.
“Potential manifests when you hit your limits.”
The students tightened with tension.
“If you are a Lumeran student…if you aspire to be a hero, you must be able to overcome those limits.”
When the school motto was invoked among professors, it was a sign of a formidable trial awaiting.
“Your Bastera opponents will not be other first-year students.”
“Then who?”
Peeek-!
Sedgen lightly blew his whistle.
In sync with it, someone appeared at the Training Ground.
Seeing this figure, the first-year students stiffened.
“Haha. N, no way.”
“Nah, it can’t be. They’re just here to observe, probably.”
They laughed awkwardly, trying to deny it.
To those denials, Sedgen unforgivingly delivered the truth.
“Your opponents will be ‘the fifth-year students.'”
Hearing that, the first years wore expressions of utter shock.
Ris, standing at the forefront, grinned at the underclassmen.
“Hope you do well.”
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
